At Windsor High School, consistent attendance = student success. To help families stay informed, we want to remind you of our attendance policy as outlined by IWCS Regulation JED-R, our specific tardy policy at Windsor High School, and our attendance appeal policy:
Returning from an absence:
- Parents submit a written statement (paper or email), dated and signed by the parent, stating the reasons for the absence to the attendance office on the day of the student's return.
- Please note that we accept five (5) parent notes per semester as excused absences. Any parent notes received after the fifth (5th) will be noted; however, they will be coded as unexcused.
- We accept unlimited doctor’s or professional notes excusing absences. Professional notes include those from doctors, courts, therapists, and any other professional service deemed necessary for a student to attend that requires him or her to be absent from school for any length of time.
Unexcused Absences: When a note is not submitted, the absence will be considered unexcused and school personnel will implement the following intervention steps to improve attendance:
- 3rd unexcused absence: Call home
- 4th unexcused absence: Letter sent home
- 5th unexcused absence: Attendance Improvement Plan is developed
- 10th unexcused absence: Administrative Conference & Truancy Intervention Contract signed
- 11th unexcused absence: TRUANCY REFERRAL to Attendance Officer
Tardies to School:
Students are allowed to provide up to five (5) parent notes for tardies to school ONLY on the same day as the tardy and with reasonable and appropriate excuses. Excessive tardies may result in loss of privileges. Students with frequent tardies may lose their privilege to participate in extracurricular activities (athletics, clubs, school dances, etc). Students with frequent tardies may lose their parking privilege.
Late Arrivals & Early Dismissals:
Students who engage in a pattern of unexcused absences for less than a school day (early dismissal or late arrival) may be required to make up the missed instructional time at the principal’s discretion.
A note requesting early dismissal must be received in the office no later than 10:00 a.m. The note must be written by the student’s parent or guardian or sent from the authorized email account as verified in PowerSchool. The office staff will verify the written note by contacting the student’s parent or guardian via the contact number/email in PowerSchool. At no time will 18 year-old students be permitted to sign out of school without proper documentation that declares the age of majority and demonstrates his/her emancipation from his/her parent(s)/guardian(s).
If a need to leave early develops after 10:00 a.m., the parent, or approved contact, as indicated in the PowerSchool account, must come to the WHS office with proper identification to sign the student out.
Attendance Notes:
Attendance notes can be emailed to lsigler@iwcs.k12.va.us and lalston@iwcs.k12.va.us
Attendance & Extracurricular Participation:
In order to be eligible to participate in extracurricular activities (including, but not limited to athletic events, club activities, school dances, etc.), a student must attend 50% of the school day. Students who are absent from school are not permitted to be on school property for any reason, this includes extracurricular activities such as athletic events or school dances. Students who are chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year) may lose the opportunity to attend particular social events (e.g. Homecoming Dance, Prom, participation on athletic teams, or other extracurricular activities).
Chronic Absenteeism by Month:
Chronic absenteeism is defined by VDOE as missing 10% or more of the academic year, regardless of whether absences are excused, unexcused, or due to suspensions. Missed instruction, regardless of the reason, can have significant academic consequences.
Attendance Appeal Policy:
It is especially important to note the expectations for student attendance as it relates to student retention and course credit. High school students may not be granted credit for a course if unexcused absences from class total more than five (5) class periods for a semester course, or ten (10) class periods for year-long courses. The entire policy JED and regulation JED-R may be found on the division's website by navigating to: Board → Policy → J. Students → JED and/or JED-R.
At Windsor High School, we encourage families to be proactive in managing attendance and tardiness. Communication with school staff is key. Regular attendance and punctuality are critical for success, and we are here to support you every step of the way.
Be present. Attendance = Achievement!
